Pictures!

As promised, here at last are pictures of some of the things I've found most striking so far about living here.

I see this boat twice a day, I think at high tides, and I have no idea what kind of ship it is. It has a tall gantry-like thing at the stern, but no obvious cargo on deck, and I've never seen nets. Ed thinks it might be a dredging ship working to deepen the port.

mystery ship

vending machine

Here is one of the ubiquitous Japanese vending machines.

Buddhist monk

This is not, of course, a picture of

the actual monk I saw walking

down the sidewalk with a tall

wooden staff, last week. (no camera!)

But, as I was trying to puzzle out

what sort of person he was, Ed brought

home the October issue of Okinawa

Living, and I saw this picture of

a Buddhist monk. One mystery solved!

This is one of the banyan trees in Isa Park, a little park next to the seawall, right across the street from our house.

Isa Park

This is the reason we chose this apartment.

view from our balcony

Here are two views from the seawall.

Hamby Town and Mihama

Fishing boats anchored behind the breakwater

Here are a few of the small things that make me happy:

jasmine tea

blue tabi socks

my drums

And here are the three things in Japan that make me the most happy:

Sebastian

Atanasia

Indiana

Many thanks to Buddy, for pointing out that almost no one was allowed to post comments the way I had the defaults set. I've fixed it now so that everybody who visits can post a comment, and I wish you would. :)

In Passing

Waiting for words to come from the moonlit sky . . .

Suddenly, dark clouds drift across like chilling smoke

But don't let your heart be darkened like them ---

The moment always passes and gladness will return.

----- Kwan Yin